…imagination). So out goes all but 4 ounces of the refrigerated and lethargic starter, and in goes the restorative meal of 4 ounces each of both flour and water. But what to do with the cup or so of discardedstarter? You could certainly throw it away…but why would you? It’s a delicious gift from…

…to discard a cup of perfectly good (albeit unfed) starter as part of the process? Well, most people say it's “so your refrigerator won't be overrun with starter.” But that doesn't make sense. Since you're going to remove a cup of fed starter to bake with, why not just count that as the “discard,”…

…or – heaven forfend – actually discarding it. I know how much you dislike throwing away perfectly good starter. Thus, this is a great recipe to whip up when you're feeding your starter for another use, and need to discard some; use 1/2 cup of the discardstarter right here. Second, if you're looking…

…new starter. Transfer the starter to a bowl, so you can wash out its container. If you like, discard 1 cup of starter; this will control the amount of starter you're dealing with. If your starter is scanty and you're trying to build up the amount, there's no need to discard. Or, if you do discard -…

…Baker's tip: Looking for something to do with that cup of starter you need to discard before feeding? Bake these tasty biscuits. They do just fine with unfed starter straight from the fridge – the starter you'd otherwise throw away. Recipe: Gluten-Free Biscuits made with Baking Mix Reader rave: "Now…

…- the liquid is alcohol and acids generated by the sourdough, and both are flavor enhancers. Now comes the part where your recipe says “Discard 1 cup of your starter, and add 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of flour to the remainder.” Well, that's fine. But if you just can't stand throwing ANYTHING…

…tangy. And they make great use of that cup of starter you’re supposed to discard before feeding. Ready? Let’s waffle. OK, pay attention now: you need to start this process the night before you want to make your waffles. Take your starter out of the fridge, stir it down, and remove 1 cup.…

…one of those things you can be all engineering about. Forget your timer; just wait until your starter looks like the picture above. 10. Feed the starter again. WITHOUT DISCARDING ANY OF THE STARTER, feed it with 1 ounce of lukewarm water, and 1 ounce of flour. Cover, and put back in its warm spot.…

…substitution. Beware of substituting willy-nilly in recipes that are chemically leavened, e.g., anything using baking powder/baking soda. Why? Because the starter will throw off the acid balance these leaveners depend upon to work. However, if the recipe calls for buttermilk or yogurt (both acidic,…

…maintaining your starter at room temperature, you may want to increase the volume of starter to the amount needed for your recipe. You can do this by feeding your starter without discarding; or by discarding, and feeding it 8 ounces flour and 8 ounces water. If your starter has been refrigerated,…

…should be discarded. I poured off much of the liquid (alcohol and acetic acid). I could have stirred it in, but wanted to end up with a less-liquid starter. Next, I stirred it the remaining liquid. Then I removed and discarded 1 cup of the resulting thick starter. Next, the remaining starter gets a…

…beyond yeast bread, sourdough starter can easily be used without offering it a meal first. Which makes the non-yeast recipes listed above ideal for what, class? That's right – using up the "discard" sourdough you'd ordinarily throw away when you DO feed your starter prior to making yeast bread. But,…

…recipes. So if you could post your suggestions along with questions and comments, I would be so grateful. I'm working on developing some more recipes to use with your starter, but that's another blog. Please read, rate and review this recipe for Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter. Print just the recipe.

…Thanks, Halley. Let's start with some “fed” or “ripe” starter. If you know what this means, skip to the next picture. If not, here's an explanation: “Fed” or “ripe” starter is one that you've taken out of the fridge, stirred down, discarded 1 cup, fed the remainder with water and flour, and let…

…other little yeast cells to get enough to eat. Also, you don't have to discard it if you don't want to; you can give it to a friend, or use it to bake. There are quite a few recipes on our site using "discard"starter, including sourdough pizza crust, sourdough pretzels, and my all-time favorite…

…for you, with your own recipe and pickle juice; add less salt than you think the dough needs, then more to taste. TRY THIS: Substitute sourdough starter (fed or unfed) for some of the flour and water in the recipe. WHY? Because it's a good way to use up that discard sourdough you end up with…

…that the starter has softened and developed bubbles. Now, if you don't want to wait for an overnight starter, you can substitute 1 cup of sourdough starter – either fed starter, or unfed (right from the fridge). This is a great use for that cup of starter you'd otherwise discard, prior to feeding…

…Vegetable Panini. This recipe should start with a trip to the farmstand, or your favorite produce market. I picked up some good-looking bell peppers, and a few Portobello mushrooms. Next step: light the grill. I don't bother scraping the gills out of the mushrooms, as most recipes ask you to do.…